Spread shot arrow head



Feb. 13, 1962 H. P. BUERossE SPREAD SHOT ARROW HEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 19, 1959 Feb. 13, 1962 H. P. BuERossE SPREAD SHOT ARROW HEAD 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 19, 1959 .FESSE v A A W fw C E Il M W 4U E. ,lA i mw/A NN N uw H\ m 3 m. .P x, .2km /A Nv mv Nv A A c mv Ov m @L E ou vv mv v .@:MN @n mn wm Nm, E i w l :um A .Q 9 I 7 M11 wml-) v) V rk o :v f Q h n www nu .d AQ

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szsg wherein the shot electing means comprises a spring behind SPREAD SHG? ARROW HEAD Henry P. Buerosse, Rte. l, Bos 174, Pewaulice, Wis. Filed Aug. i9, 1959, Ser. No. 35,383 19 Claims. (Si. 273-1065) This invention relates to archery equipment and refers more particularly to an arrow head which may be charged with small shot and from which the shot may be discharged during iiight of an arrow incorporating said arrow head. This application is a continuationein-part of my copending application Serial No. 754,833, filed August 13, 1958 and now abandoned.

With the increasing popularity of archery, there has grown up a demand among archers for equipment that is suitable for hunting small game, especially birds, and for use in sports hitherto restricted to shot gun enthusiasts, namely trap and sheet shooting. The ordinary hunting arrow must be aimed with great precision in order to hit a small bird or animal, but it strikes its target with relatively great force. In these respects the use of conventional hunting arrows for hunting small game is comparable to the use of a riile, as distinguished from a shot gun. Hence archery hunters 'have sought a missile in the nature of an arrow, suitable for discharge from a hunting bow but which will distribut a number of relatively small projectiles over a compact and predictable target area that will be substantially greater than the area covered by a single conventional hunting arrow.

It is thus the main purpose of this invention to provide a spread shot arrow head which is admirably suited for use by archers in trap and Skeet shooting as well as in the hunting of small game, and by means of which a large number of relatively small missiles can be propelled through a trajectory in a substantially compact but spread pattern, comparable to the discharge of a shot gun shell.

ln this connection, it is an object of this invention to provide a low cost spread shot arrow head of the character described which can be recharged repeatedly and indefinitely with loads costing but a fraction of the cost of shot gun shells, and which can be readily secured to the front end portion of substantially any desired type of arrow shaft, so that an arrow embodying the spread shot arrow head of this invention can be aimed and shot in the conventional manner.

In a more specific sense, it is an object of this invention to provide a spread shot head for an arrow, the essential components of which head can be made and sold at low cost and consist of an elongated tubular member that provides a barrel in the open front end portion of which a charge of shot or the like may be received, a plunger slidable axially back and forth in the barrel, and a compression spring conned in the barrel behind the plunger to react between the rear end of the barrel and the plunger, and by which the plunger may be propelled forwardly relative to the barrel during flight of the arrow to expel the charge out of the front of the barrel.

Still another object of this invention resides in the provision of a spread shot head for an arrow, having a barrel to receive a charge consisting of a number of pellets or other small projectiles, and having ejection means therein adapted to be loaded with a force derived from the inertia of the charge and the initial force of the cast as the arrow is released from a bow, and adapted to release said derived force while the arrow is in flight and thus eect ejection of the charge from the barrel.

lt is a further object of this invention to provide a spread shot arrow head of the character described comprising an elongated tubular body providing a barrel to receive a charge of shot or the like ahead of a plunger that is axially movable back and forth in the barrel, and

the plunger into which energy from a bow is transmitted due to the inertia of the charge as an arrow incorporating the head is discharged from the bow, and which spring automatically releases its energy and propels the plunger forwardly to eject the charge at some point in the ight of the arrow.

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a spread shot arrow head of the character described, having means thereon by which the discharge of pellets or the like from its barrel may be predetermined to occur at any of a number of different instants during the ilight of an arrow incorporating the head.

In another form, the arrow head of this invention embodies a substantially strong plunger spring that can be manually precompressed and held in a loaded condition by a latch mechanism that is automatically released in consequence of the inertia of the charge, during ilight of an arrow having the head thereon, to enable the shot to be suddenly and forcefully propelled from the barrel by the energy stored in the spring, at a speed greater than that of the arrow.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a spread shot arrow head of the character described which is light, sturdy and inexpensive and which can be depended upon to discharge small shot in a well distributed pattern.l

Another object of this invention resides in the provision of a spread shot arrow head of the character described having simple but reliable means for releasably retaining a charge of shot or the like in the barrel of the head until after an arrow incorporating the arrow head has been propelled into llight.

With the above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, this invention resides in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts substantially as hereinafter described and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come within the scope of the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate4 several complete examples of the physical embodiments of the invention constructed according to the best modes so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of an arrow incorporating a spread shot arrow head embodying the principles of this invention, the head being shown in longitudinal section;

FIGURE 2 is a view on `an enlarged scale, partly in side elevation and partly in longitudinal section, showing the arrow head of this invention loaded with shot and prepared for discharge from a bow;

FlGURE 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the arrow head in the condition it assumes during initial bow propelled acceleration;

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the arrow head after the charge of shot has been discharged from it;

FIGURE 5 is a perspective View of the spring member by which a charge of shot is retained in the arrow head or" this invention until the proper instant for its expulsion;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through the front of the barrel and showing a slightly modified form of the invention;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional View through an arrow head similar to that shown in FIG- URES 2, 3 and 4, but illustrating an alternative manner oi readily releasably retaining a charge of pellets in the barrel of the head;

FIGURE 8 is a side view of another form of the arrow head of this invention, portions thereof being broken away and shown in section;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken through FIGURE 8 on the plane o-f the line 9--9;

FIGURE 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view illustrating still another form of the arrow head of this invention;

FIGURE ll is 'a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of an arrow head of this invention equipped with an internal calibrating means which also serves to cushion the main spring of the head during its release from a bow; and

FIGURE l2 is a longitudinal sectional view through a portion of an arrow head of this invention illustrating lintern-ally operable mechanism for releasably latching the main spring in a preloaded conditon.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, the numeral designates generally an arrow head embodying the principles of this invention and which is adapted to be attached to the front end portion of an arrow shaft 6. The arrow shaft may be in all respects conventional, as may its iletching 7, although so-called pom or liu-flu fletching, shown in FIGURE 1, is preferred for trap, Skeet and bird shooting.

The arrow head of this invention comprises an elongated housing or barrel provided by a tube S, the bore 9 of which opens to its front end, and a plunger 10 axially slidable in the housing bore ahead of an elongated coiled compression spring 11. In the form of the invention shown in FIGURES l through 6, the plunger is in the form of a cup having its bot-tom facing rearwardly and its open end forwardly. A spring member 12 cooperates with the barrel provided by the tube and with the plunger therein to retain a change of tine shot 13 inside the cup provided by the plunger until the arrow reaches the proper pointin its flight, and to then permit the plunger to expel the shot, all as more particularly described hereinafter.

More specifically, the tube or housing 8, which is preferably made of hard aluminum, has its bore provided by a deep forwardly opening well, the bottom 14 of which provides a forwardly facing circumferential shoulder near the rear of the housing against which the rear end of the compression spring 1l. reacts. At its rear the housing provides a socket 15 defined by a small diameter rearwardly opening tapered bore 16 the well of which converges forwardly, and in which the tapered front end portion I17 of an arrow shaft may be snugly secured. The arrow shaft need only be manually pressed into the socket, since all of the forces to which the arrow is subjected during normal use tend to force the shaft and housing relatively toward one another, and hence the spread shot arrow head of this invention need not be permanently secured to an arrow shaft but may be changed from one shaft to another at the archers pleasure.

As stated, the cup-shaped plunger l@ opens forwardly and is adapted to hold a charge of small pellets or shot, iine gravel, small darts, or other projectiles suitable for small game, slreet or trap shooting. The cylindrical side wall 18 on the cup-like plunger has an easy sliding fit in the bore 9 of the housing, and to insure that the plunger can move freely back and forth, the housing or tube may have an air bleed hole 19 through its wall, a short distance forwardly of the circumferential shoulder 14.

The coiled compression spring 11 is confined in the tubular housing member between the forwardly facing shoulder 14 and the flat rear wall or bottom of the cuplike plunger, and it is thus adapted to bias the plunger forwardly.

The spring member 12, which is best seen in FIGURE 5, may be formed from a single strip of clock spring steel or the like, and is bent to a generally L shape. At the free end of one leg 2l of the L the spring member has an .integral annular retainer portion 22 which substantially closely but freely slidable embraces the housing.

The other leg 23 of the spring member is somewhat shorter and provides a ltab which is adapted for projection through a transverse slot 24 in the housing wall and to extend across the bore `9, in front of the plunger. To engage the tab through the slot, the longer leg 2l must be flexed to curve it inwardly toward the housing, as shown in FGURES l and 2, and the flexing of this leg biases the tab laterally outwardly, in the direction to withdraw it from the slot 24. However, the slot is located a distance rearwardly of the fron-t of the housing such that the coiled spring 1l must be compressed when the front end of the plunger is held clear of the slot 24 to permit the tab 23 to be inserted thereinto; and hence the front of the plunger normally presses the tab into rictional engagement with the front edge of the slot to prevent withdrawal of the tab from the slot. it will be seen that the tab of the spring member performs the dual function of lblocking the open front of the plunger to retain the charge of shot therein and of holding the plunger against forward motion in response to the bias ing force exerted by the compression spring 11.

Thus the plunger may be readily loaded by holding the arrow head lwith the mouth of its bore 9 uppermost and dropping shot thereinto, then depressing the plunger against the force of spring 11 by means of a tool having bifurcations to engage the rim of the cup at diametrically opposite points, and then engaging the tab 23 through the slot 24 in the housing and between the bifurcations of the spring cooking tool to hold the plunger against forward displacement. (See FlGURES l and 2.)

When an arrow incorporating the spread shot arrow head described is discharged from a bow, the initial forward acceleration of the housing causes the shot loaded plunger to move relatively rearwardly, due to its inertia, to fur-ther compress the spring 1l, as seen .in FlGURE 3. Such rearward movement of the plunger releases the tab 23 for withdrawal from the slot 24 in the housing under the inuence of the biasing force of the flexed leg 21 of the spring member, so that the charge may be tired from the head.

As the arrow decelerates after its release from the bow string, the inertia produced forces acting upon the spring are reduced to a value at which the energy stored in the spring predominates, and the spring then rapidly propels the plunger forwardly relative to the housing, forcefully throwing the shot charge out of the barrel at a velocity which is the sum of the fonward speed of the arrow and the forward spring biased movement of the plunger relative to the housing.

To prevent displacement of the plunger out of the housing, a collar 27 is tightly press fitted to the front of the barrel and provides a rearwardly facing circumferential shoulder 23 around the mouth of the bore 9 of the barrel, against which the front of the plunger is adapted to engage. The front of this collar is rounded on a substantial radius of curvature, as at 29, to prevent the arrow head from digging into the ground as it falls, thus precluding picking up slugs of earth. The collar has the additional functions of reinforcing the front of the tube and of preventing damage thereto in the event the arrow head falls on rock or other hard surfaces. The collar, of course, can be replaced if it should become badly damaged.

Tests have shown that the arrow head of this invention discharges shot in an evenly dispersed pattern, and causes the shot to travel accurately toward the target. The arrow, of course, falls short of the target, on a straight line between the target and the position from which i-t was released, and it is therefore easy to lined for re-use.

The spring 11 is selected according to the weight of the shot to be used, the speed or force with which the arrow is discharged, and the yardage required for the type of hunting being performed. The location of `the slot 24 forwardly or rearwardly along the length of the housing governs the initial loading of the compression essere@ spring l1 and thus determines the point in the trajectory of the arrow at which the shot will emerge from the mouth of the bore 9, the shot emerging earlier in the iiight of the arrow as the slot is moved rearwardly. Obviously, if desired, the housing can be provided with a plurality of such slots at axially spaced intervals.

If desired, forward travel of the plunger may be limited in a manner illustrated in FIGURE 6, by means of shoulders or stops 333 that are in the form of tongues struck inwardly a short distance from the wall of the barrel and have their free ends facing rearwardly. In that event, the bore in the collar 29 is made substantially identical to that of the barrel, as shown.

The arrow head described has been found to be ideally suited for hunting small game, especially small birds, and for the first time it enables archers to enjoy the sport of trap and skeet shooting. Hitherto those sports were limited exclusively to shotgun enthusiasts. ln connection with the latter use of this invention, it will be appreciated that the cost of each shot is but a fraction of the cost of a shot gun shell, and lthat the arrow head may be easily reloaded, in the field, and reused substantially indefinitely.

in the form of the invention disclosed in FIGURE 7, the charge of shot or other small projectiles, such as deheaded finishing nails of the type shown in FGURE l0, is retained in the cup-like plunger lll by means of a Wad 32 pressed into the front of the barrel to lie against the charge in the plunger. For a full charge of shot in the plunger, the wad may occupy a position within the mouth of the collar 29', but it may be pressed into the forward end of the plunger to perform its function when less than a full charge of shot is loaded into the plunger. In this case also, the plunger is shown normally occupying an extreme forward position in the barrel, toward which it may be biased by the compression spring 11. The spring, of course, may be of slightly greater length than that used in the arrow head described previously.

The use of a wad 3?., such as a disc of corrugated or other paper board, or an equivalent low cast material, enables the spring member l2 to be eliminated, and also satisfactorily serves as an eective means for temporarily holding either nails or shot against accidental displacement from the barrel. Since the wad is held in place only by the frictional engagement of its periphery with the mouth of the collar 2%' or the inner surface of the plunger, depending upon the depth of the charge in the plunger, it is readily ejected when the plunger reaches its forward limit of spring propelled motion.

Arrow heads of this invention better suited for hunting somewhat larger game and birds such as pheasants which are notoriously hard to bring down in flight even with Shotguns, are disclosed in FIGURES 8, l and l2. The tubes that provide the barrels of these heads are somewhat longer than those used in the arrow heads previously described, so that they can accommodate a longer, more powerful spring ll, and to enable them to be charged with more lethal loads comprising, for instance, a multiplicity of deheaded finishing nails 34, see FlGURE l0. While the plungers generally designated 35 in these em- -bodiments of the invention may also be of cup-like construction, similar to the plunger 1t) to accommodate loads comprising either nails or shot such as BBs, they are preferably in the form of cylindrical slugs when nails or other elongated proiectiles are to be charged into the barrel. The absence of the cylindrical side wall of the cup in that case enables a somewhat larger charge of projectiles to be loaded into the barrel. lt is also preferable, ofcourse, to provide the more powerful arrow heads disclosed in FlGURES 8, l0 and l2 with collars 29 of the type shown in FIGURE 9, wherein the bore of the collar is substantially the same size as that of the barrel.

Moreover, each of these embodiments of the invention incorporates a latch device on the order of that previously described, to hold the spring 1l under a substantial degree of precompression. In FIGURE 8, the latch device 37 comprises a collar 38 freely slidably encircling the barrel and fixed to the plunger 35 by means of a pin 39 that extends through an elongated longitudinal slot 40 in the barrel. The slot 40 may extend for nearly the full length of the barrel, if desired, to have its forward end a short distance behind the collar 29 and its rear end a short distance forwardly of the internal shoulder 14 at the rear of the barrel.

The spring lll at all times biases the plunger 35 forwardly, toward a normal position defined by the engagement of the pin 39 with the shoulder 4l provided by the forward end of the slot 40. ln loading the arrow head of FIGURES 8 and 9, the collar St is manually moved rearwardly along the barrel, to compress or cock the spring ll and make room in the barrel ahead of the plunger for a charge of projectiles such as deheaded nishing nails. When the collar reaches a position at which the spring has acquired the desired degree of compression, it is rotated in one direction on the barrel to engage its pin 39 in one of a plurality of notches 42 in the barrel opening to one side of the slot 4d, to thus enable the spring to be retained in its compressed or preloaded state. Each of these notches, of course, defines a rearwardly facing abutment i3 behind which the pin 39 may engage, and it will be noted that each notch also has an edge portion dit, behind its abutment, that tapers rearwardly toward the slot, at an acute angle with respect thereto. The tapered edges 44 of the notches provide cams by which the pin 39 is cammed out of a notch in which it is engaged as a cansequence of rearward motion of the collar relative to the barrel.

Assuming that the barrel has been loaded with a charge of projectiles such as the nails shown in FIGURE l0, and the collar has been moved rearwardly to a position indicated in construction lines, at which its pin 39 is engaged in the center one of the three notches 42 shown in FIGURE 8, the sudden acceleration of an arrow incorporating the head, as it is released from a bow, causes the load or charge to exert substantial rearward inertial force onto the plunger 35 and hence the collar 38, to move them rearwardly, thus further compressing the spring 1l and causing the pin 39 to be cammed out of its notch 42. The energy stored in the spring, of course, is suddenly released after a certain amount of deceleration of the arrow in flight has taken place, to forcefully propel the charge out of the barrel.

In this form of the invention, therefore, the speed at which the charge leaves the barrel may greatly exceed the initial speed of the arrow, the latter serving substantially as a fast moving launching device against which the force of the spring lll reacts when it is released.

As indicated in FIGURE l0, the load of nails or other projectiles may be conveniently held in place within the barrel by means of a wad 32 such as described previously.

The arrow heads shown in FlGURES 8, l0 and l2 also differ slightly from those previously described in that the barrel of each is formed of a length of tubing having uniform external and internal diameters throughout its length. The internal shoulder i4 at the rear of the tube is provided by an insert do press fitted into the rear of the tube, and having the tapered socket l5 formed therein to receive the foot of the arrow shaft.

in the FGURE l0 embodiment of the invention, the latch device 37 comprises a short collar ed of nylon or the like, slidably received on the exterior of the barrel, and having a narrow spring blade 49 fixed thereto in any suitable manner, preferably to project rearwardly from the collar. As shown, the forward end of the spring blade is disposed between the barrel and the collar, and is anchored to the collar by portions of ythe blade struck upwardly therefrom as at 56 to embrace the axial dimension of the collar. The rear portion of the blade is biased outwardly from the barrel, toward a normal position indicated in construction lines, at which an inwardly directed finger 5l on its free extremity is spaced from the barrel.

The spring blade can be exed toward the barrel to enable its fingers Si to be inserted through any of a number of openings 52 through the barrel and into its interior, where it can serve as a stop that is engageabie by a orwardly facing shoulder 53 on the plunger 3S to hold the latter in dierent rearwardly depressed positions corresponding to dilerent degrees of precompression of the spring l1. Consequently, the force of the spring il acting through the plunger is utilized to hold the latch linger against retraction from its operative position shown in solid lines, until after an arrow incorporating the head has been shot from a bow. At that time, the charge or load, by its inertia added to that of the plunger 3S, moves the plunger rearwardly in the barrel and allows the finger Sl to be retracted by the bias on the blade dit, thus placing the mechanism in condition for discharge by the spring 11. In this case also, discharge takes place when the predeterminable amount of energy stored in the spring overcomes the inertia produced forces tending to hold it compressed.

A further feature of the lElGURE l embodiment of the invention is that while its plunger 35 may be either a solid slug or of cup-like construction, it is preferably formed with a circumferential groove to more or less provide axially spaced front and rear cylindrical bearing mem-bers 515 and 55, respectively, joined by a reduced stem portion S7.

The linger Sl on the spring blade may engage the front face of either of these bearing members to releasably hold the spring 1l' cocked and in different stages of precompression. However, assurance against `failure oi' the nger f to be properly retracted during launching of an arrow incorporating the FIGURE l0 head may be had by providing a rearwardly converging cam surface 58 on the rear of the front bearing member 55 and engaging the iinger in the space between the bearing members as shown, so that it is acted upon by the shoulder provided by the front face of the rear bearing member S5 to hold the spring 11 cocked, and cammed outwardly to its retracted position by the cam surface on the front bearing member 5S during inertia produced rearward movement of the plunger 3S.

A wadrSZ, or its equivalent, may also be used in this case to guard against accidental loss of the charge, without interfering with forceful expulsion of the charge during tiring of the mechanism.

The latch device illustrated in the FGURE 12 embodiment of the invention is located entirely in the interior of the barrel. It comprises a substantially thin, pivoted pawl 60 carried by the plunger 35, and received iiatwise between Iforwardly extending bifurcations 61 on the plunger. The bifurcations are provided by a substantially narrow cross slot 62 in the front portion of the plunger, opening to its front, and the pawl is pivotally mounted upon a cross pin 63 fixed in the bifurcations and spanning the space therebetween near the inner ends of the bifurcations.

The pawl extends forwardly from the pin 63, and projects a slight distance beyond the front of the plunger. The projecting front of the pawl is angled slightly to provide an inclined edge 64 ahead of the plunger, with which the rear extremity of a loading rod 65 is engageable during depression of the plunger and cocking of the spring il, to cause the pawl to -be tilted upon its pivot pin in a direction to thrust the point 6rd of the pawl linto one of the openings 52 in the side wall of the barrel uponregistery or" the point therewith. Thereafter, the force of the spring 1l may be relied upon to hold the pawl in an operative latching. position until inertia produced rearward motion ofthe plunger enables the pawl to be retracted. A spring ring 67, snapped into a circumferential groove 68 in the plunger, normally acts upon a side edge 69 of the pawl to resist pivotal motion thereof toward its operative position and, of course, to yieldingly hold the'pawl in an inoperative or retracted position at which its point 66 is wholly within the bore ot the barrel.

The `back of the point 66 may also be tapered so as to provide a cam surface 7i) to facilitate retraction of the pawl by the forwardly facing edge of an opening 52, in which the point is engaged, during initial inertia produced rearward movement of the plunger.

lf desired, a spacing member generally designated 72 in FIGURE 1l may lbe incorporated in any of the arrow heads of this invention, to maintain the spring il con pressed to a degree determined by the length of the spacing member. As shown, the spacing member is confined between the shoulder ld in the rear ot the barrel and the reatr end of the spring lit. Though the spacing member may be a cylindrical slug or the like, an additional benet is derived when it Iis provided by a strong helical compression spring wound of wire having a diameter greater than that of the main spring l1. The spring spacer 72 serves as a cushioning device to protect the main spring ll at the instant the arrow is released from a bow, during which relatively great rearwardly lacting inertia produced forces are imposed upon the plunger ahead of the spring. The cushioning spring, of course, is especially desirable when it is incorporated in the heads on arrows shot from powerful hunting bows.

From the foregoing description taken together with the accompanying drawings it will be apparent that this invention provides a device which may be attached to the front of a iletched arrow shaft and by means of which shot or similar small missiles may be propelled in a dispersed pattern by means of a bow. It will also be apparent that the spread shot arrow head of this invention is simple, inexpensive and sturdy, is easy to load, may be reused indefinitely, and is accurate and dependable in operation.

What is claimed as my invention is:

l. A spread shot arrow head comprising; means delining a tubular housing, the bore of which opens to its front and which has a transverse slot therein intermediate its end-s; means defining a forwardly facing circumferential shoulder in the rear of the housing bore; means on the rear of the housing dening a rearwardly opening coaxial socket in which the front end portion of an arrow shaft is coaxially engageable; a cylindrical plunger axially slidable in the bore yof the housing, said plunger having a forwardly opening well therein in which small shot is receivable; :a compression spring confined in the bore in the housing between said shoulder and the plunger, whereby the plunger is biased forwardly; a tab insertable through said slot in the housing and adapted to extend across the housing bore to block forward motion of the plunger past said slot and to confine Shot in the plunger well; and means on the housing biasing said tab in the direction to effect its retraction out of said slot, clear of the bore in the housing, said last named biasing means being insuiciently powerful to withdraw the tab from said slot when the plunger is engaged against the tab under the normal biasing force of the compression spring but effecting withdrawal of the tab when the plunger moves rearwardly relative to the housing in response to inertia of the plunger during forward acceleration of the housing.

2. The spread shot arrow head of claim 1, further characterized by the fact that said tab and said last named means for biasing the tab laterally outwardly of the housing are formed from a unitary substantially L-shaped strip of spring material, of which the tab comprises one leg of the l. and the other leg ot' the L has an integral annular portion at its free end which encircles the housing.

3. A spread shot arrow head comprising: a housing having an elongated well opening to its front and having a coaxial rearwardly opening well dening a socket in which the front end portion of an arrow shaft is securable, the wall of said housing having a transverse slot therein intermediate the bottom of said well and its mouth; a plunger axially slidable back and forth in said Well in theh'ousing'and having a forwardlyopening'wvell in which small shot is adapted to be held; a coiled compression spring confined in the housing well between the bottom thereof and said plunger, to yieldingly urge the plunger forwardly; a spring member bent to an L-shape and having a portion at the free end of one leg which embraces the housing, the remainder of said leg normally extending laterally from the housing and the other leg of said spring member being insertable through said slot in the housing wall, upon iiexing of said iirst designated leg, to extend vacross the well in the housing and block forward motion of the plunger past said slot in response to the bias of the compression spring and to retain shot in the well in the plunger, said spring member being insufficiently rigid to withdraw said other leg from the slot when the normal biasing force of the compression spring is exerted thereagainst through the plunger, but urging said other leg out of the slot when said biasing force is overcome by relative rearward inertia of the plunger due to forward acceleration of the housing.

4. The spread shot arrow head set forth in claim 3,

shaft is engageable; a cup-shaped plunger axially slidable y in the housing bore and opening to the front of the housing, said plunger being adapted to hold a charge of small shot; spring means in the housing yieldingly biasing the plunger forwardly; movable stop means cooperable with the front of the plunger and with an abutment on the housing to releasably hold the plunger, against the bias of said spring means, in a position in which its front end is spaced rearwardly of the front of the housing; and means biasing said stop means to a position in which the plunger is released for forward movement in response to the bias of said irst designated biasing means, said stop means being held in its plunger engaging position by the force of said first designated bias means upon the plunger and being released from said position, to' move to its plunger releasing position, in consequence of inertia propelled relative rearward movement of the plunger during forward acceleration of the housing.

6. A spread shot arrow head comprising: a tubular member having an elongated bore opening to its front end and the front portion of which is adapted to receive a charge of shot or other small projectiles; attaching means on the rear end portion of the tubular member providing for coaxial securement of the same to the front end portion of an arrow shaft; a plunger slidable axially back and forth in the bore in the tubular member, and against which a charge in the front portion of the tubular member may bear; and inertia activated recoil mechanism in the rear portion of the tubular member, connected with the plunger in thrust receiving and transmitting relation thereto, and adapted to be loaded by charge produced rearward motion of the plunger in response to inertia when the tubular member is suddenly accelerated forwardly, for releasing a substantial forward charge expelling force upon the plunger when forward acceleration of the tubular member ceases.

7. A spread shot arrow head comprising: an elongated tubular member providing a barrel open at its front end and having attaching means on its rear end providing for coaxial securement of the tubular member to the shaft of an arrow; a plunger slidable axially back'and forth in the barrel, said barrel being adapted to hold a charge of shot or other small projectiles in its front portion, ahead of the plunger; and elastic means carried by the tubular member for yieldingly resisting rearward travel of the plunger, the elasticity of said means providing for storage of energy therein due to inertia of the plunger and of a charge in the tubular member in front of the plunger when the tubular member is accelerated forwardly and providing for release of such stored energy to propel the plunger and the charge forwardly relative to the tubular member after such acceleration has ceased.

8. The spread shot arrow head of claim 7, wherein said elastic means comprises endwise abutting short and long helically wound compression springs in the rear of the barrel, the short spring being wound from wire having greater thickness than that from which the longer spring is wound and serving to cushion the longer spring during inertia produced rearward travel of the plunger in the barrel.

9. A spread shot arrow head comprising: an elongated tubular member providing a barrel open at its forward end; attaching means on the rear end of the tubular member providing for its coaxial securement to the shaft of an arrow; an elongated coil spring conned in the tubular member; an inertial plunger slidable axially back and forth in the barrel, ahead of the coil spring, and upon which the forward end of the spring acts, for inertially loading the spring in consequence of forward acceleration of an arrow incorporating the head as the arrow is discharged from a bow; and means for releasably retaining a charge of shot or other small projectiles in the barrel ahead of the plunger, so that the combined inertias of the plunger and of a charge ahead of it may be utilized to load the spring when an arrow having the head thereon is discharged from a bow.

l0. The spread shot arrow head of claim 9 further characterized by the provision of rearwardly facing shoulder means on the inside of the barrel, at the front of the tubular member, engageable by the plunger to limit forward motion of the plunger in the barrel and prevent displacement of the plunger out of the barrel.

ll. A spread shot arrow head comprising: an elongated tubular member open at its front end and having attaching means on its rear end portion for securing the tubular member coaxialiy to the shaft yof an arrow; a plunger slidable axially back and forth in the tubular member; said tubular member being adapted to hold a charge of shot or other small projectiles in its front portion, ahead of the plunger; means providing an internal forwardly facing shoulder on the rear portion of the tubular member and an elongated compression spring conned in the rear portion of the tubular member between the plunger and said forwardly facing shoulder, to be compressed by movement of the plunger in consequence of the rearward force imposed thereon due to the inertia of a charge in the barrel, during forward acceleration of an arrow incorporating the head.

l2. The spread shot arrow head of claim 1l, further characterized by: the provision of cooperating relatively movable latch parts on the barrel and the plunger engageable with one another to releasably latch the plunger in a rearward position in the barrel at which it holds the spring precompressed, one of said latch parts being movable to a position disengaged from the other thereof in consequence of said inertia produced motion of the plunger rearwardly from its latched position to free the plunger for forward propulsion by the spring.

13. The spread shot arrow head of claim 12, wherein said one latch part is yieldingly biased toward a position disengaged from the other of said parts.

i4. The spread shot arrow head of claim 12, further characterized by the provision of cam means rendered operative by the plunger in consequence of said inertia produced motion thereof rearwardly from its latched position, for camming said one latch part to a position disengaged from the other thereof.

l5. The spread shot arrow head of claim 14, wherein said cam means comprises a cam surface on the plunger forwardly of said latch part thereon, for camming said 1 l latch part on the barrel to a position disengaged from the latch part on the plunger.

16. The spread shot arrow head of claim 14, wherein said cam means comprises a cam surface on the barrel for camming said latch part on the plunger to a position disengaged from the latch part on the barrel.

17. The spread shot arrow head of claim 11, further characterized byrrthe fact that the barrel has an elongated slot therein extending lengthwise of the barrel and has notches therein opening to one edge of the slot at locations spaced along the length of the slot, one edge portion of each notch providing a rearwardly facing abutment and another edge portion of each notch providing a cam surface that slopes rearwardly and inwardly toward the slot from said abutment; the provision of a collar slidably received on the exterior of the barrel; and the provision of a pin extending radially through said slot and connecting thev collar to the plunger for back and forth movement therewith, said pin being selectively ongageable in any one of said notches behind the abutment provided thereby, to releasably latch the plunger in a rearward position in the barrel at which the spring is precompressed, said cam surface of each notch providing for camming the pin out of a notch and into the slot as a consequence of said inertia produced motion of the plunger rearwardly from its latched position.

18. The spread shot arrow head of claim 11, further characterized by: the provision of cooperating latch parts on the barrel and the plunger engageable with one another to releasab-ly latch the plunger in diiferent rearward posi7 tions at which the spring is precompressed dierent amounts, the latch parts on the barrel comprising rearwardly facing abutments provided by openings in the barrel at locations spaced lengthwise thereof, and thel latch part on the plunger comprising a latch member having a pointed part thereon, said latch member being carried by the plunger for hack and forth movementV therewith and for movement relative thereto substantially radially of the barrel to and from an operative position at which its pointed part is received in one of said openings in the barrel, behind the abutment provided by said opening; and the provision of yieldable means carried by the plunger and acting upon said latch member to move the same out of its operative position in consequence of said inertia produced motion of the plunger rearwardly from a latched position, .to free the plunger for forward propulsion by the spring.

19. The spread shot arrow head of claim 18, wherein the plunger has forwardly extending bifurcations between which said latch member is received; and further characterized by the provision of means mounting the latch member on the plunger for pivotal motion-about an axis crosswise of the plunger and located rearwardly from said pointed part on the latch member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,284,497 Vidaver Nov, 12, 1918 1,311,950 Cooper Aug. 5, 1919 1,374,242 Sekula Apr. 12, 1921 1,725,760 Ikeda Aug. 27, 1929 1,988,191 Donato Jan. 15, 1935 2,048,061 Donato July 21, 1936 2,322,212 Allen June 22, 1943 2,373,974 Ramsey Feb. 17, 1959 

